Harford police say holdups at Subway, Royal Farms near Bel Air are related

Officials released this raw surveillance footage March 29 showing the suspect in an armed robbery at a Bel Air Royal Farms store on March 21. Police suspect this robbery is related to two others in the area.

Officials released this raw surveillance footage March 29 showing the suspect in an armed robbery at a Bel Air Royal Farms store on March 21. Police suspect this robbery is related to two others in the area.

The Harford County Sheriff's Office says it is looking for a man in connection with two armed robberies that occurred seven hours apart late Wednesday and early Thursday at a Subway sandwich shop and a Royal Farms store east of Bel Air.

The latest of the two holdups occurred around 4 a.m. Thursday at the Royal Farms in the 1600 block of Churchville Road, the Sheriff's Office said in a news release Friday morning.

Deputies responded to the convenience store, which is at the Fountain Green intersection of Routes 22 and 533, where the cashier told them they had been robbed at gunpoint.

The robber is described as a white male, in his 20's, wearing a black hooded sweat shirt, dark colored pants and black and white colored shoes. The suspect's face covered with a black bandanna and he displayed a handgun, according to the news release.

The cashier advised the suspect entered the store and approached the register, demanding cash from the register, the release continued. The cashier complied and the suspect then fled the store toward Route 543.

The Royal Farms robbery is related to an armed robbery that occurred Wednesday at the Subway Sandwich Shop in the Greenbrier Shopping Center, which is less than a mile away on Route 22 from the Royal Farms, the Sheriff's Office said Friday.

In the Subway robbery, two employees told deputies they were preparing to close the business, in the 200 block of Brierhill Drive, just before 9:30 p.m. Wednesday when they heard a someone enter the store, according to the Sheriff's Office report of the crime. One of the employees was bent over cleaning, and when he stood up, he saw a man with a gun.

The robber was wearing a gray, hooded zip-up sweat shirt with the hood pulled up over his head and had a black bandanna covering the lower half of his face, according to the police report. The robber was given money, which he took before fleeing toward Brierhill Drive and the Seasons Apartments, according to the report.

The Subway robber was described as 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing about 140 pounds with a thin build and pale white skin; he was also wearing light-colored jeans. He may have brown or blond hair, according to the report.

There were no injuries reported in either robbery, according to the Sheriff's Office, which said its investigation is continuing.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Det. Tammy Burns at 410-836-5043.

Persons who wish to remain anonymous may report their information online at http://www.harfordsheriff.org/wanted or by text messaging to Metro Crime Stoppers: Text "CRIMES" (274637) Begin the message "MCS," then add the information. Qualifying tips submitted to the tip lines below that lead to a conviction may be eligible for up to $2,000 in rewards.